Feature: The Best Games on GameCube and Wii

This week presents a rather unique opportunity, as we’ll be celebrating major anniversaries for two consoles. The GameCube celebrates the tenth anniversary of its North American release on November 18th, while November 19th is the fifth anniversary for the Wii in the same territory. Not only does this dual celebration entitle us to twice as much cake, but also provides a unique opportunity to look at both consoles and explore their similarities and major differences.

Later this week we’ll look back at each console individually and discuss them in a roundtable, but for now we’re taking the bold step of declaring our top 10 games for both platforms. Not necessarily directly linked to review scores but lists that, in the view of the current team, represent the best games on Wii and GameCube. A total of nine staff members nominated 98 games over the two platforms, with votes and scores then tallied together. Naturally, limiting ourselves to a top 10 when addressing entire game libraries means that many exceptional titles miss out, but we hope that you’ll agree with us on one thing: these are all awesome games.

We’ll begin at the beginning, with our GameCube top 10.

10. F-Zero GX — F-Zero is a franchise that has been terribly neglected by Nintendo, an issue that we will certainly explore in the future. For now, let’s celebrate an outstanding entry in the series, utilising the GameCube’s capabilities to produce a title with the fun and manic speed of its predecessors, and gorgeous presentation to round off the package. A perfect game to enjoy with like-minded friends, while we longingly wait for the next entry in the series.

Not a typical hero

9. Luigi’s Mansion — So, it’s a new Nintendo console with an exciting launch title from Mario, um, what? Luigi’s Mansion was a surprise in terms of its main protagonist and gameplay style, and these were arguably pleasant surprises. A perfect example of the GameCube’s willingness to experiment, check out our retrospective if you still need to be convinced.

8. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — Mario’s adventures in the RPG genre often have bags full of charm, and this title is no exception. With turn-based battles and quirky visuals and storytelling, this continues the good work of the N64 original.

7. Resident Evil — This remake of the original Resident Evil title was so much more than a simple re-release. Enhanced visuals were expected, but it was the re-mastering of the adventure itself, with new enemies and story arcs, that truly captured fans of the series. It’s the definitive version of the first title in the series, and a pinnacle of ‘old-school’ Resident Evil game design.

6. Animal Crossing — A good example of a bold new IP on the GameCube, Animal Crossing was completely laid back and left the direction of the game to the player. You have a house, friends and shops to visit, all at your own pace. A title that is addictive and relaxing in equal measure, this is a franchise that looks set to continue into future generations of Nintendo consoles.

A scary sight

5. Resident Evil 4 — While the Resident Evil ‘REmake’ provided the best of the original title, Resident Evil 4 took the series in a bold new direction. Exclusive to the GameCube at the time – though it’s since been re-released many times – this title introduced a completely new style of gameplay, alongside exceptional visual and sound presentation. Opinion is divided on whether the action-focussed style represents true survival horror, but the quality of this game is in little doubt.

4. Super Smash Bros. Melee — The second entry in the series, Melee took the basics from the N64 original and made it all bigger. More characters, stages and trophies combined with a substantial boost of play options in single and multiplayer. Fun and frantic fighting that is easily accessible to gamers of any ability, this title is fondly remembered by many.

3. Super Mario Sunshine — Super Mario Sunshine was a surprising title, as it refused to simply copy the ideas of Super Mario 64 with better graphics. It was a different direction for the Super Mario series, but deserves to be recognised as an excellent adventure in its own right. More freedom of exploration, the rather fun FLUDD system and the appearance of Yoshi all contribute to a top-notch gaming experience. Different doesn’t necessarily mean bad.

2. Metroid Prime — After a rather famous outing on the SNES, Samus Aran went rather quiet on the home console scene, skipping the N64 completely. The announcement that the Metroid franchise would return as a first-person adventure, developed by unknown Texas developers Retro Studios, sounded like a recipe for disaster. When Metroid Prime finally arrived, it was a masterpiece. An impressive achievement of game design, art direction and reverence to the series lore, it can be regarded as one of the great re-designs of a major gaming franchise.

A golden experience

1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker — Initial reactions to Wind Waker often focussed on the cel-shaded cartoon graphics, a change that caught some gamers off-guard. When accepted at face value, the visuals in this title are actually gorgeous and that which truly matters, the actual gameplay, shines brightly. The tight controls and the exploration across the seas give this title a character of its own within the Zelda canon. This was the undisputed number one amongst the Nintendo Life staff, accumulating almost double the votes of the runner-up.

Those are our top 10 GameCube titles, though three runners up that narrowly missed out are Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Pikmin: all titles that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the final list. We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments, but not before you see our top 10 Wii games on the next page.

From the web

Welsh ex-pat Tom is responsible for the day-to-day running of the site. He's the guy to thank for the generally brilliant nature of the content which massages your eyeballs on a daily basis. Also has an unhealthy obsession with all things Bowser.

User Comments (127)

I want to play Wind Waker and PM:TTYD. I need a GC controller/memory card. D:

I prefered Galaxy 1 to Galaxy 2 but I enjoyed both. I prefered the story and level design of 1. It felt like a game instead of a level collection. I thought it had a good mix of platforming and exploration levels while 2 is almost all platforming with boring exploration levels. The green stars could of not existed in my opinion. They feel like a frustrating way to make it longer to get 100%.

2 was a great game and I get why people like it more. I thought 1 had way more memorable moments then 2 though.

I do agree with most of the stuff on this list. Haven't tried the RE series so I can't judge on that.

Of course everyone has their favorites, I liked your 3 runners up on Wii better than many on list. Other games for Wii that I loved:Rune Factory Frontier (I played more of this in a shorter period of time than any game in recent memory)WiiMusic (I know most people didn't, but I loved it!)NBA Jam (w/motion controls is so good!)Mario Kart Wii (most played at my house according to Nintendo Channel)MLB Power Pros (Deceptively deep baseball game, better than any baseball on X360, but not PS3 )LEGO Star Wars (Had it on GCN, but lightsaber and blaster sounds from the remote are genius)

GameCube:Chibi-Robo (One of the most mature stories I've seen in a game)Mario Baseball (Great replayability)Pikmin 2 (seriously...why is this not on the list?)Zelda 4 Swords (A lot longer game than I thought, frustrating when cables disconnect and game resets, but otherwise fun)

Definitely Monster Hunter Tri. All the way. There is only 3 games I haven't tried on the list: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Can't wait to try them.

@CowLaunch - For one thing, the two Resident Evil titles are very different in style, whereas with Mario Galaxy we wanted to allow as much diversity in the list as possible. Just a choice made to make the Wii list as broadly representative as we could.

Interestingly, quite a few of the alternatives suggested, including Chibi-Robo, were nominated and had some votes. As stated in the intro, 98 different games across the two platforms received at least one point. Limiting ourselves to just 10 games (plus 3 close runners-up) means that so many great games miss out. It's interesting to see the suggestions and alternatives, and a few of the staff can honestly say with some of them, 'that was in my top 10!'

10. No9. NO8. Should be higher7. Should be way higher6. no5. Oh HELL NO4. Should be higher3. No2. No1. Hell freakin' no

My Wii List:

1. Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionOkami - The fact that this game wasn't even mentioned is a disservice to gamingThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessKirby's Return to Dreamland - The fact that Epic Yarn was picked over this is a disservice to KirbyXenobladesWii SportsTatsunoko vs. CapcomSin & Punishment: Star SuccessorResident Evil 4: Wii Edition10. Trauma Team

In short, the tastes of the reviewers here are terrible and only serve to remind me why I don't take the reviews around here seriously.

In my opinion Paper Mario Thousand Year Door is the perfect rpg ever. So many damn good times playing it. My favorite Gamecube game of all time, and it will never change. I've played it through at least 5 times and it never gets old.

@TheDarkness - In terms of the Metroid Prime Trilogy, we excluded that as Metroid Prime 1 and 2 were up for consideration in the GameCube list, with Metroid Prime eventually coming in at number 2. Metroid Prime 3 was specifically a Wii game, while the other 2 on the Trilogy were ports with widescreen and Wii Remote controllers. Metroid Prime Trilogy is awesome though.

The discussion and lists of games are really interesting, though may I ask that we all remain courteous and not insult others over their choices? There's no absolute/indisputable top 10, and none of us are the ultimate, undisputed Great Gamer of the Universe, so let's maintain civility, shall we?

These are great games, and i've played most of them... and there are a few more good ones for each console, but not that many...

And that's what bothers me: something like 15, or maybe 20 great games... in 5 years... for each console? Is that really impressive? Is this something we can cheer about? 3 or 4 excellent games each year, with some years way better than other, very boring ones?

I know Nintendo must rely on its own, as most 3rd parties never seem to involve, and i know Nintendo's task force is limited, as they also release many good handheld games... but after months and months of wait in the last 10 years, it's hard for me to say Gamecube and Wii gave me total satisfaction, even with all the great Zelda's, Mario's and Metroid's, and a handful of others...

My point is... will i still buy the next one, Wii U, with passion and impatience? With no console Zelda in the next three or four years, and no Metroid Prime or Mario Galaxy on the horizon, i guess you know my answer...

Prime and Resi Evil have been done better as Wii specific control versions. Others are sound. You could include Soulcalibur 2 and Burnout 2 in there o suppose. Melee is brilliant, but I much prefered Brawl Wii

Sad to see that neither Pikmin game made the list... Super Monkey Ball would also be included in my Gamecube list.

As for Wii games, I personally place Xenoblade and Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies in my top 3 (along with one of the Galaxy games), so I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't even make the list. Punch-Out!! would also be included if got to decide.

In this list, I took out remakes and games I haven't actually beaten. Also, I consider the Wii version of Twilight Princess a remake as it was announced AFTER the GameCube version, so I didn't put it on my Wii list. If I did, I'd have it there at #4 with SPM knocked off.

Good lists! I would have switched out Super Mario Sunshine and put Eternal Darkness in it's place. I also would have listed MHT much higher than 10. Still, good games all over the place...makes me to know I have a lot of them!

@TheDarkness - Actually, the situations are different. As acknowledged in the twilight princess entry, this title started life as a GameCube project, but was delayed and switched to Wii: that helps to explain why the motion controls feel, arguably, like they've been tacked on. It was published as a launch title and released on Wii just before the GameCube. By deliberately releasing on the Wii first, Nintendo made it clear that this was to be considered as a Wii game. Metroid Prime 1 & 2 came on the GameCube first, so were essentially ported to the Wii in Metroid Prime Trilogy.

one excellent gamecube title that is commonly overlooked is Robotech: Battlecry, I stumbled on a used copy at my local EB Games and decided to give the game a chance. It turned out to be one of the best games I've ever played for the gamecube.

This article seems a little dated for the Wii list.I agree with much of the gamecube list, but believe it or not never played RE4 or Pikmin!Anyway, I know it isn't out yet but the Wii list should really include Skyward Sword. It's gotten nothing lower than a 9.5 anywhere its been reviewed yet, and it's been said to be one of the best video game accomplishments of the past decade! Thats something to be said about a game that's sub-HD!And Epic Yarn rather than Return to Dreamland? I know EY is probably more unique, but c'mon...RtD is so much better.Here's my top 10 for wii1. Skyward Sword 2. Super Mario galaxy 2 3. Mario Kart Wii 4. Twilight Princess (i guess we are counting this in the Wii era, makes sense) 5. Donkey Kong Country Returns 6. Super Smash bros Brawl 7. Super Mario Galaxy 8. New Super Mario Bros Wii 9. Kirby's Return to Dreamland 10. Sonic Colors

Loved the list, actually expected you guys to sneak Skyward Sword into number 1 spot on Wii

My only gripe is Super Mario Galaxy 2 in #1 spot. For some reason that game just doesn't work for me. It's too linear or something and I've always struggled to get into it, but that is just my personal opinion. SMG1 is still my favourite, would have loved that in #1 instead of SMG2

EDIT: And while Twilight Princesses controls are pretty much a waggle fest, I still feel it is a more intuitive system than the controller. Admittedly I never played Twilight Princess on the Gamecube, I'm just comparing to my experience with Windwaker controls. Although, the damn shield bash where you thrust the nun-chuck forward.... that barely ever worked.

Paper Mario : The Thousand Year Door is my favorite Mario's RPG!! Super Smash Bros. Melee is awesome!! I love the first & the second Metroid Prime!! Super Mario Sunshine stays one of best GC games!! But I prefer Zelda: Twilight Princess than Zelda: The Wind Waker.

How could you not even mention the greatest game of all time which is Tales of Symphonia on your GC list?!?! Brawl should be higher (I'd put it at No.1) on the Wii list and Twilight princess was way too high. Also, how could something like Monster hunter 3 get on there instead of much better games like Wario land: the shake dimension, the No more heroes and it's sequel and Little King's story? I would've also mentioned Xenoblade chronicles in that but thats probably due to it being unreleased in NA. There were some very good choices and placements apart from those on the list though like Wind waker being 1. (if ToS isn't then that should be) as well as NSMBW etc.

I bought Wind Waker from eBay 2 weeks ago and received it yesterday. I've only played about 3 hours but i already completely agree with it's top spot.@mariofanatic128 I don't think your giving enough credit to twilight princess, it was pure epic.

For fun I think I'll toss up a list without any first party Nintendo titles. in no particular order:GCNBloodRayneSecond SightStar Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi OutcastJames Bond: Everything or NothingBatman: VengeanceSoulCalibur IIKiller 7Tales of SymphoniaSummoner: A Goddess RebornResident Evil 4

People are taking this article WAY too seriously. I bought a Gamecube specifically for F-Zero GX and it's still probably my all-time favorite Gamecube game, but I'm not going to freak out because NintendoLife didn't rank it where I wanted. Anyway, here's my top 5 favorite cephalopods:5) Cuttlefish4) Ammonite3) Squid2) Nautilus1) Octopus...is that helpful? I'm pretty sure my list is the best.

No one even mentioned Fire Emblem and Excite Truck? Sad. Fire Emblem is the most epic strategy game on a Nintendo console, it also marked the first entry on a home console in the West. And Excite Truck/Bots is the perfect motion control racer, where Mario Kart Wii failed.

Blasphemy. No Eternal Darkness ("Eternal Darkness can safely be called one of the GameCube's best titles") for gamecube or Xenoblade Chronicles (which you guys basically called a perfect game in your review) for the wii. other noteworthy titles include Killer 7 and Fire Emblem for the gamecube and No More Heroes and House of the Dead: Overkill for the wii.

There are probably many other games on the Wii that I enjoyed more than Wii Sports Resort and Kirby's Epic Yarn, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion.It's a shame Xenoblade Chronicles had to miss out due to not being released in North America, as that'd have to make my personal top three.A pretty decent list though, in my opinion.

@Drake - Xenoblade was number 8 on my list, but the lack of an NA release was fairly damaging for it. The fact that a combination of EU and US writers contributed was explained in the article, to the many people querying why the likes of Xenoblade and Kirby's Return to Dreamland have missed out

Cool to see such diverse selections from everyone, though phrases like 'blasphemy', 'lame' and 'disgraceful' are a bit on the nose! The majority of alternatives mentioned did receive votes, so perhaps we'll produce the full poll results some time. The Wii list will certainly be revisited at an appropriate time, once the console is well and truly out of production I suspect.

I actually consider Mario Kart Wii a step back from Double Dash. The expected graphical improvement and online multiplayer (although Double Dash actually has a limited version of online multiplayer, itself) are really the only improvements in the Wii entry of the series.

The bikes control too loosely to want to drive them over the karts. The motion control steering isn't sensitive enough. The tricks are fine but don't really add anything to the experience.

On the other hand, the Wii entry has overall inferior original courses, overpowered items resulting in too much emphasis on luck, no individual character items, no multiplayer Grand Prix, no All Cup Tour, and a Battle Mode that absolutely sucks.

It's like they decided that since they're giving us an excellent online multiplayer mode that we won't care if they just mail it in on everything else having to do with multiplayer and some other quality aspects of the game.

GameCube1. TLoZ: The Wind WakerI don't care for most Zelda games. Plus, I hear the ocean travel gets boring.2. Metroid PrimeExcellent game, although I've still only played the opening section of it from my MP Trilogy game. I really need to get back to it sometime. Still, I prefer the gameplay in Other M.3. Super Mario SunshineHaven't tried or seen it. The whole FLUDD gameplay idea doesn't excite me. I should look into renting it someday, though.4. SSB MeleeBy far, my favorite GameCube game and, in my opinion, one of the best video games of all time. 'Nuf said.5. Resident Evil 4Rated M, so I don't want anything to do it.6. Animal CrossingBoring, casual, simulation game. Yuck!7. Resident EvilAlso rated M. No dice.8. Paper Mario: TTYDI don't like the idea of the 2D/3D viewpoint shifting. It's possibly something to rent someday.9. Luigi's MansionI've watched my brother play this game. It's very dull and slow-paced.10. F-Zero GXI still need to pick this up sometime. It sounds like a great underrated gem.

Eh, kinda "meh" on the Wii's list for me...1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (it came first, shut up, lol)2. Monster Hunter Tri (Brawl and this game pretty much took up most of my Wii playtime. )3. Metroid Prime 3/Trilogy (I could care less about first-person games, but these games were awesome. Especially with the Wii controls)4. Donkey Kong Country Returns (a very challenging game, something you don't see often with Nintendo games. Retro did awesome) 5. Kirby Returns to Dreamland (We needed a Kirby game like this, reminds me a lot of Superstar, which is a good thing)6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (first one was awesome, this one even better...also, it has Yoshi)7. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (its a Zelda game, I went with the Wii version...loved the aiming...great game...shut up)8. Super Paper Mario (great story)9. Okami (never knew about this game when I got rid of my PS2, glad they brought it to the Wii)10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii ( reminded me a lot of Super Mario World...fun game)

WiiSuper Mario Galaxy 2The first SMG has a horrible camera that sucked most of the fun away. I sold it well before I even got halfway through. I hear the sequel has a somewhat better camera, but that's not good enough for me to take a chance on it.2. New SMB WiiI never got around to getting it when it first came out, and now I'm waiting for it to become a Nintendo Selects title. Although I hear it's not as hard as DK Country Returns, I'm still worried about being forced to play the 2nd half of the game mostly on auto-pilot.3. DK Country ReturnsI've tried this game at a demo kiosk. It's way too hard. I couldn't even get close to beating the first boss after 3 tries. I've never cared much for this series, anyway.4. TLoZ: Twilight PrincessLike I said, I don't care for most Zelda games. However, Skyward Sword has revolutionized the gameplay so much that I think it will become one of the rare exceptions when I can borrow it from my brother.5. Mario Kart WiiA very good game but a disappointment compared to the brilliance of Double Dash. See post #119 for details.6. Super Smash Bros. BrawlOther than gravity that's too weak, tripping, too many overgimmicky stages, and online lag, it's a worthy successor to Melee and also one of the best video games ever made.7. Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionI still need to get around to playing this. I know, I'm too far behind on video games (although my mom would laugh at that statement).8. Wii Sports ResortAn excellent title but too flawed in some of the activities to make a Top 10 list, in my opinion. I'm still waiting for a WM+ swordfighting game that doesn't baby us into using seperate offensive and defensive modes. Skyward Sword may be that game, but l can't believe those idiots at LucasArts have still not given us what we've all been waiting for since the Wii was first announced.9. Kirby's Epic YarnExtremely disappointing. Kirby needs to stick to what he does best. The basic gameplay is okay but nothing to write home about, and combined with the complete inability to die and the minimal motivation to collect and keep beads, this game is a snorefest. I played through the game once and sold it.10. Monster Hunter 3It's just not my kind of game. Sorry.

Wario Land completely destroys Kirby's Epic Yarn it's not even funny. KEY is a sugar coated gorgeously sparkly feast for the eyes and ears, but WLSI is hands down the better game, plus it's one of the most gorgeous wii games out there and it's super hair raising challenging and boasts some incredibly genious level design.

As for the GCN, ya i have some pretty decent memories of trying out the Cube at a mall Luanch-ish party and being pretty blown away buy Star Wars Rogue Squadren II and Luigi's Mansion. Plus I got my Cube later that Christmas hehe.

Plus there were some pretty sweet times playing SSB Melee at College during inbetween class breaks with my class mates...Yet that was when the GCN was practically dead and the Wii was in complete hype machine mode.

But eh, i wasn't that crazy over the GCN...I was in and out of gaming during that time. sigh*Same deal with the N64, both consoles are neither my favorites.

To be honest, WarioLand Shake belongs right up there in the same catagory with DK Returns and Epic Yarn. Oh, and Galaxy 1 & 2 are equals in my book, but I totally agree that they take only one slot on the Wii list.

Zelda: Wind Waker is a very good game in it's own right, but one of the weakest Zelda games in my opinion (and I say this as a 34 year old who enjoys every game in the series and has been playing them since the release of the original on NES...currently, I'm loving Skyward Sword and rate it highly )...Wind Waker's graphical style is gorgeous but the gameplay experience is too thin...the sailing bits at times seem to go on forever with little happening, there's very few 'proper' dungeons (and of those there are, they're very easy to beat) and there's no decent sized areas to explore, just lots of little islands and expanses of ocean inbetween. Certainly not worthy of being named 'best Gamecube game' on a list that doesn't even include either of the Pikmin games at any rate. If anything, the underrated (by many) Mario Sunshine should've been top, Metroid Prime stlll iat number 2 and then Wind Waker at number 3....a game that deserves to be played and experienced, but not one that deserves to be named as best GC game.

The Wii top ten list is a different matter, I pretty much agree with all of those at least.

Pikmin pikmin pikmin pikmin. Seriously this was one of the most innovative titles on the gamecube, definitely more so than resident evil. And the second one was even better! I know it was on your short list, but come on it's a whole new IP, it needed a place! Other than that the list is pretty much spot on, although I'd place Paper mario much higher. TBH I think the overall quality of games on the cube is possibly higher than the WII, to much fluff and gimmicks on the wii. Not saying there aren't some amazing releases on the wii, just as a whole I'm a lot more likely to replay gamecube games than wii ones. Looking at the two lists, there are a lot more games I could think to add to the gamecube one, compared to the wii list.